Nonwoven fabric for cleaning and a production method for the same

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a nonwoven fabric for cleaning and to a production method for the same. Provided is a nonwoven fabric for cleaning and a production method therefor, comprising: a raw-material supply step in which between 80 and 90 parts by weight of cotton fibre and between 10 and 20 parts by weight of synthetic fibre are introduced; a step in which the introduced raw materials are mixed by using a blowing and scutching machine; a step in which a web is produced in the form of a sheet by using a carding machine to process the mixed raw materials; a step in which a fibrous web is produced by layering a plurality of the webs and then spraying a water jet so as to join the plurality of webs to each other; and a heat-treatment step in which the fibrous web is subjected to hot drying, and the synthetic fibre is softened and the bond with the cotton fibre is strengthened. Also provided is a production method for the nonwoven fabric. According to the present invention, a nonwoven fabric for cleaning can be provided which maintains the water absorbency and the oil absorbency while markedly increasing the tensile strength of the cotton fibre.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No.10-2010-0065516, filed on Jul. 7, 2010 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a nonwoven fabric for cleaning and a production method for the same which can be repeatedly used by enhancing a tensile strength, and in particular to a nonwoven fabric for cleaning and a production method for the same which have features in that a tensile strength can be enhanced a lot while making sure that an absorption and oil absorbency of a common fabric can be maintained.

BACKGROUND ART

A nonwoven fabric is generally made in such a way that a variety of fabrics such as natural or chemical fabrics not manufactured by a weaving method are engaged in random directions for thereby forming a sheet shaped web, and they are engaged by chemical and physical methods. The thusly manufactured nonwoven fabrics might be classified and used for a house decoration purpose for clothing, beddings, etc, an agricultural purpose for a plant cover, a medical purpose for a water-soaked towel, a diaper, a mask, gauze, etc, and a cleaning purpose for an industrial wiper, a dishcloth, a loofah, a mop cloth, a disposable water-soaked tissue, etc. The nonwoven fabric for cleaning should have a high absorption and oil absorbency performance.

The conventional method for manufacturing a nonwoven fabric for cleaning is a melt blown method featuring in that a synthetic polymer is spun and becomes a fiber by a high pressure and temperature hot wind for thereby forming in a uniformly melted fiber web. The synthetic resin has a better economic efficiency as compared to a natural fiber but has a problem in that absorption and oil absorbency are low. As another conventional art, there is a substrate for manufacturing a spun lace nonwoven fabric made from a natural fiber; however it has a weak strength and anti-friction performance, so a binder resin is attached to one side or both sides of a fiber web as a solution to improve the above mentioned problems for thereby enhancing a strength and anti-friction performance; however the above mentioned conventional method lowers the absorption of a natural fiber since too much binder resins are attached to a side or both sides of the fiber web.

In addition, in case that a nonwoven fabric is made of a pure cotton plug which is a natural fiber, for the purpose of manufacturing a dishcloth or a mop cloth, the tensional strength lowers as compared to a synthetic fiber, and it cannot be cleaned multiple times for the repeated use, so it is generally used for a disposal purpose because naps form.

Korean Patent Publication Number 1999-0031474 (May 6, 1999) is directed to a method for manufacturing a nonwoven fabric through a process for mixing a low temperature melting fiber into a natural fiber, a carding process, a forming process and a shearing process; however as a high temperature heat treatment is performed so as to obtain a reliable engaging force between fibers during a forming process, so a flexibility and drape performance for the sake of cleaning in a form of dishcloth or mop cloth are lowered, and a needle punching process has features in that a raw cloth surface state and a tensile strength are not enough for the sake of cleaning. There is further another method featuring in that a binder is separately manufactured by using a polyvinyl alcohol, etc. so as to enhance the binding strength of a natural fiber and is supplied to a natural fiber. In this case, since an emulsion desorption ratio with respect to fiber is high, a color definition in terms of a dying process is low, and when a water washing and dehydration are repeatedly performed, a tensile strength still lacks.

As further another conventional art, there is a method for manufacturing a scream substrate or a woven piece substrate featuring in that a spun bond web formed of a natural pulp or a natural pulp web and a long fiber, a melt blown, a scream substrate or a woven piece substrate are stacked and engaged by a water spraying method; however the above mentioned method is disadvantageously complex.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention is made to overcome the above mentioned problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a nonwoven fabric for cleaning and a production method for the same which make it possible to provide a good oil absorbency and absorption.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a nonwoven fabric for cleaning and a production method for the same which can be repeatedly used multiple times by enhancing a tensile strength of a nonwoven fabric while producing few naps.

It is further another object of the present invention to provide a nonwoven fabric for cleaning and a production method for the same which can provide enhanced flexibility and draping performance.

It is still further another object of the present invention to provide a non-woven fabric for cleaning and a production method for the same which have features in that a continuous manufacture can be obtained, and a manufacture process is simple.

To achieve the above objects, there is provided a nonwoven fabric production method for cleaning, comprising a raw material supply step for inputting 80-90 weight % of a cotton plug and 10-20 weight % of a synthetic fiber; a step for mixing the inputted raw materials using a scutching machine; a step for producing a sheet-shaped web by processing the mixed raw materials using a carding machine; a step for producing a fiber web in such a way to stack a plurality of the webs and to spray a water jet and to bind a plurality of the webs; and a step for heat-drying the fiber webs and smoothing the synthetic fibers and enhancing a binding with the cotton plug.

In addition, the synthetic fiber is a poly olefin-based fiber or a polyester fiber having a melting point of 100-120° C.

The nonwoven fabric for cleaning and a production method for the same according to the present invention has features in that the raw material supply step has features in that the cotton fiber and the synthetic fiber are alternately stacked and form at least three stages and then are supplied.

The nonwoven fabric for cleaning and a production method for the same according to the present invention has features in that the heat treatment step has features in that the fiber web is processed for 80-100° C. for 50-120 seconds by a heat-wind device and/or a heating roll.

In addition, the nonwoven fabric for cleaning according to the present invention is manufactured by the above described production method.

Advantageous Effects

According to the nonwoven fabric for cleaning and a production method for the same of the present invention, it is possible to enhance an absorption and an oil absorbency of a nonwoven fabric for cleaning.

In addition, according to the nonwoven fabric for cleaning and a production method for the same of the present invention, the tensile strength can be quite enhanced, so it can be cleaned for multiple times for the sake of repeated use.

According to the nonwoven fabric for cleaning and a production method for the same, flexibility and a draping performance can be enhanced.

In addition, according to the nonwoven fabric for cleaning and a production method for the same of the present invention, a mass production of an endless nonwoven fabric can be possible because it is not necessary to supply other raw materials or a binder in such a way to supply mixed raw materials.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a nonwoven fabric method for cleaning according to the present invention.

BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a method for manufacturing a nonwoven fabric for cleaning according to the present invention. The method for manufacturing a nonwoven fabric for cleaning of the present invention comprises a raw material supply step S11 for inputting 80-90 weight % of a cotton plug and 10-20 weight % of a synthetic fiber; a step S21 for mixing the inputted raw materials using a scutching machine; a step S31 for producing a sheet-shaped web by processing the mixed raw materials using a carding machine; a step S41 for producing a fiber web in such a way to stack a plurality of the webs and to spray a water jet and to bind a plurality of the webs; and a step S51 for heat-drying the fiber webs and smoothing the synthetic fibers and enhancing a binding with the cotton plug.

Raw Material Supply Step (S11)

This step is directed to inputting 80-90 weight % of a cotton plug and 10-20 weight % of a synthetic fiber most featuring in that the strength of a fiber itself is very high, and the strength becomes higher when it is soaked with water, and it can well resist repeated cleanings, and absorption is good. With these advantageous features, it is proper as a raw material of a nonwoven fabric for cleaning.

The synthetic fiber is a poly olefin-based fiber or a poly ester fiber having a melting point of 100-120° C. The polyethylene fiber belonging to a thermoplastic poly olefin-based fiber, a polypropylene fiber or a polyester fiber with a melting point of below 100-120° C. are mixed in a cotton plug, and it is heat-treated for thereby more enhancing the tensile strength of a nonwoven fabric.

In addition, if the synthetic fiber has less than 10 weight % with respect to 80-90 weight % of the cotton plug, an enough binding force to the cotton plug is not generated, and when it exceeds 20 weight, the hardness increases, so the draping performed is lowered. Here, the draping performance is one of the characteristics showing the strength that a woven piece can be bent with and is mainly dependent on flexibility and elasticity. It can be calculated to express the degree when a woven piece sags downward as it is hung at a circular plate.

In the raw material supply step, the cotton plug and the synthetic fiber are alternately stacked and supplied in a form of at least three stacks, so the partial differences in binding forces due to the distribution of the synthetic fiber can be eliminated.

The contents of waters and impurities are inspected before the raw materials are supplied. An accurate weight of each fiber can be measured by way of a weighing inspection using a weight measuring device (weighting balance).

The raw material supply step has features in that the cotton plug and the synthetic fiber are alternately stacked and form at least 3 stages.

80-90 weight % of the cotton plug and 10-20 weight % of the synthetic fiber are classified and are alternately stacked and form at least three stages and are inputted into the raw material supply unit. If the stages are less than three stages, the mixing might not be well performed, and if the stages are above seven stages, too many stacks, the process might be complicated.

Raw Material Mixing Step (S21)

The step for mixing the inputted raw materials with a scutching machine represents an opening process for swelling the compressed and tangled fibers following the raw material supply process, a cleaning process for removing the impurities in the fibers and a mixing process for uniformly mixing the cotton plug and the synthetic fiber and having them uniformed.

The inputted raw materials are mixed in the scutching machine having a large size mixer, etc. They are mixed for 5-15 minutes long enough for the stacked and mixed raw materials to be well mixed.

Web Manufacturing Step (S31)

The step for manufacturing a web in a sheet shape by processing the mixed raw materials with a carding machine has features in that the mixed raw materials following the raw material mixing step are supplied to the carding machine with a constant weight by way of the raw material apparatus and a weighing device, and the carding machine separates the raw cotton into multiple fibers, and the impurities and a single fiber contained in the raw cotton are removed for thereby allowing a small cluster and knot of the fibers to be untangled or flattened. The carding machine is formed of rollers with different sizes and brushes attached to the rollers. As the rollers rotate, the brushes allow the cotton plugs and the low temperature melting fibers to be untangled and flattened for thereby manufacturing a thin and sheet-shaped web.

Step for Manufacturing Fiber Web (S41)

In the step in which a plurality of webs are stacked, and water jets are sprayed for thereby binding a plurality of the webs so as to manufacture a fiber web, the web is folded to form a proper layer by using a cross lapper so as to form a fiber web with a proper thickness.

In the next step, the spun lace process is performed. The multiply stacked webs are forced to pass beneath the water jet spray device. The sprayed water jet is called as a water needle. The cotton plug and the low temperature melting fiber are bound, and the patterns of the meshes installed at the underside of the web are formed on the surface of the nonwoven fabric.

The spraying force of the water jet is 60-100 bar, if it is below 60 bar, the binding between the fibers might not be bad, and if it exceeds 100 bar, the spraying might damage the surface of the web.

The reliable binding can be obtained between the web and the fibers through the spun lace process by way of the spraying of the water jets. The pores formed by the water jets and the meshes help enhance the absorption and the oil absorbency of the nonwoven fabric.

Heat Treatment Step (S51)

The heat treatment step is performed at 80-100° C. for 50-120 seconds by way of a heated wind device and/or a heating roll. The heat treatment is performed so as to enhance the binding with the cotton plugs by smoothing the synthetic fibers.

It is preferred that the heat treatment step is conducted in such a way that the moisture remaining in the fiber web is removed to a certain level by using the heating roll and is forced to pass through a drying room with a heated wind device for thereby evaporating the moisture remaining in the interiors of the fiber webs while smoothing the synthetic fibers, and they are compressed by the heating roll.

The operation temperatures of the heating roll and the heated wind apparatus are set at 80-100° C. which are lower than the temperatures that the synthetic fibers starts melting at for thereby inhibiting the increase in the hardness due to the melting and cooling of the synthetic resin and consequently obtaining a good draping performance as the nonwoven fabric for cleaning. The binding forces between the cotton plug and the synthetic fiber and the production speed of a high quality nonwoven fabric can be enhanced by way of the multiple stages of the heat treatments.

Since the binding forces with the fiber webs manufactured by using the water jets can be significantly enhanced by a heat melting of the synthetic fiber uniformly distributed on the webs, it is possible to manufacture a nonwoven fabric which can be used multiple times.

The present invention will be described in more details along with the embodiments.

Embodiment 1

10 kg of the polyester fiber (manufactured by Samyang corporation) having a melting point of 100-120° C. is weight-inspected by using the weighting balance with respect to 90 kg of a cotton plug, and the cotton plug is uniformly divided into 18 kg each, and the polyester fiber is uniformly divided into 2.5 kg each, and the raw material is stacked in a sequence of the cotton plug→the polyester fiber→the cotton plug→the polyester fiber→cotton plug and forms five stages, and the stacked five-stage materials are inputted into the raw material supply unit.

The raw materials are mixed for 10 minutes by using the scutching machine with a large size mixer, and a web is manufactured by a carding machine, and the cross rapper is adjusted to have 120 g/m², and the fiber web is manufactured through the spun lace process in which water jets are sprayed with a water pressure of 90 bar. The moisture is removed for 30 seconds by the heating roll which is heated to 90° C., and the material is heat-treated for 40 seconds by the heated wind device of 90° C., and the material is heat-treated again for 30 seconds by the heating roll heated to 90° C. for thereby manufacturing a nonwoven fabric.

Embodiment 2

This embodiment is actually performed in the same manner as the embodiment 1 except that 15 kg of the polyester fiber having a melting point of 100-120° C. is used with respect to 85 kg of the cotton plug in the embodiment 1.

Embodiment 3

This embodiment is actually performed in the same manner as the embodiment 1 except that 20 kg of the polyester fiber having a melting point of 100-120° C. is used with respect to 80kg of the cotton plug in the embodiment 1.

COMPARISON EXAMPLE 1

This example is actually performed in the same manner as the embodiment 1 except that only 100 kg of the cotton plug of the embodiment 1 is used as raw materials.

COMPARISON EXAMPLE 2

This comparison example is actually performed in the same manner as the embodiment 1 except that 30 kg of the polyester fiber having a melting point of 100-120° C. is used with respect to 70 kg of the cotton plug in the embodiment 1.

COMPARISON EXAMPLE 3

This comparison example is actually performed in the same manner as the above embodiment except that 40 kg of the polyester fiber having a melting point of 100-120° C. is used with respect to 60 kg of the cotton plug.

COMPARISON EXAMPLE 4

This comparison example is actually performed in the same manner as the embodiment 1 except that only 100 kg of the polyester fiber having a melting point of above 200° C. is used as raw materials.

The absorption and oil absorbency of the thusly manufactured nonwoven fabric are measured by the Birack method following a sample of 2×25 cm is prepared. The sample is dipped for 10 minutes in water or tetrachlorideethylene which is an organic solvent, and the sucked-up height is measured, and a result of the measurements is shown in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Comparison Comparison Comparison Comparison Classification Embodiment 1 Embodiment 2 Embodiment 3 Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 Example 4 Absorption (mm) 85.65 82.42 78.68 88.90 63.58 54.79 10.75 Oil 91.45 85.98 79.21 93.14 59.25 46.58 11.50 absorbency (mm)

Analyzing Table 1, it can be confirmed that the absorption and the oil absorbency of the nonwoven made of a pure cotton plug are highest, and as the contents of the polyester fiber increase, they gradually decrease. In case of the pure cotton of the comparison example 1, the height of the absorbed water is 88.90 mm, and in case that the polyester fibers of 10-20 weight % of the embodiments 1 to 3 are included, they are 85.65 mm, 82.42 mm and 78.68 mm which show that the decreasing widths are small, and in case of the comparison example 2 exceeding 20 weight %, the decreasing width increases as 63.58 mm. The above mentioned phenomenon occurs with the same patterns in terms of the oil absorbency. In case that the ratio when a hydrophobic polyester fiber is mixed with a hydrophilic cotton plug exceeds 20 weight %, the height showing the sucked-up level of water or organic solvent is less than 70 mm, so it is hard to expect a desired height in terms of the nonwoven fabric for cleaning.

The tensile strengths of in the lengthwise direction of the thusly manufactured nonwoven fabric are measured in conformity with KS K 0520 by using the test meter (M350-500 AX, England) after the sample of 2×14 cm is prepared, and a result of the measurement is shown in Table 2.

TABLE 2 Comparison Comparison Comparison Comparison Classification Embodiment 1 Embodiment 2 Embodiment 3 Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 Example 4 Tensile 5.15 5.69 6.24 4.12 6.48 6.56 4.65 strength (kgf)

In case of the embodiments 1-3 and the comparison examples 2 and 3, it is confirmed that as the contents of the polyester fiber increases, the strength is increased. The comparison example 1 and the comparison example 4 have features in that there is about 2 kgf difference in the tensile strength as compared to the embodiments 1-3. The above mentioned difference occurs since there is not a binding force from the polyester fiber. As the polyester fiber works as a binder in a non-directional structure of the cotton plug, a more reliable tensile strength can be obtained.

Summarizing from the above described results of Tables 1 and 2, the nonwoven fabric for cleaning according to the present invention has much higher tensile forces of 2-3 kgf as compared to the conventionally available nonwoven fabric for cleaning. Multiple cleanings don't make the shapes of the fabric deformed or torn out with the aid of the reliable durability. Less naps are produced, and the absorption and oil absorbency are much better as compared to the nonwoven fabric made from only the synthetic fibers.

As the present invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, it should also be understood that the above-described examples are not limited by any of the details of the foregoing description, unless otherwise specified, but rather should be construed broadly within its spirit and scope as defined in the appended claims, and therefore all changes and modifications that fall within the meets and bounds of the claims, or equivalences of such meets and bounds are therefore intended to be embraced by the appended claims. 

1. A nonwoven fabric production method for cleaning, comprising: a raw material supply step for inputting 80-90 weight % of a cotton plug and 10-20 weight % of a synthetic fiber; a step for mixing the inputted raw materials using a scutching machine; a step for producing a sheet-shaped web by processing the mixed raw materials using a carding machine; a step for producing a fiber web in such a way to stack a plurality of the webs and to spray a water jet and to bind a plurality of the webs; and a step for heat-drying the fiber webs and smoothing the synthetic fibers and enhancing a binding with the cotton plug.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the synthetic fiber is a poly olefin-based fiber or a polyester fiber having a melting point of 100-120° C.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the raw material supply step has features in that the cotton fiber and the synthetic fiber are alternately stacked and form at least three stages and then are supplied.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the heat treatment step has features in that the fiber web is processed for 80-100° C. for 50-120 seconds by a heat-wind device and/or a heating roll.
 5. A nonwoven fabric for cleaning which is manufactured by a production method defined in claim
 1. 6. A nonwoven fabric for cleaning which is manufactured by a production method defined in claim
 4. 7. The method of claim 2, wherein the heat treatment step has features in that the fiber web is processed for 80-100° C. for 50-120 seconds by a heat-wind device and/or a heating roll.
 8. The method of claim 3, wherein the heat treatment step has features in that the fiber web is processed for 80-100° C. for 50-120 seconds by a heat-wind device and/or a heating roll.
 9. A nonwoven fabric for cleaning which is manufactured by a production method defined in claim
 2. 10. A nonwoven fabric for cleaning which is manufactured by a production method defined in claim
 3. 